Rica Madrid poses for a photograph as she rolls a joint in her home on the first day of legal possession of marijuana for recreational purposes, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Daniel Politi, SLATE

 
WASHINGTON (Slate) — President Obama offered support for decriminalizing medical marijuana, as well as an overall change in the way the country deals with drug offenders, during an interview scheduled to air on Sunday night as part of a CNN special on marijuana. Obama talked to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the network’s chief medical correspondent, for his documentary Weed 3: The Marijuana Revolution, which will air Sunday night.

In the interview, Gupta asks Obama whether he supports a Senate bill that would change the classification of marijuana and prohibit the federal government from targeting state-approved medical marijuana programs. According to a Huffington Post preview of the program, Obama replied:

“You know, I think I’d have to take a look at the details, but I’m on record as saying that not only do I think carefully prescribed medical use of marijuana may in fact be appropriate and we should follow the science as opposed to ideology on this issue, but I’m also on record as saying that the more we treat some of these issues related to drug abuse from a public health model and not just from an incarceration model, the better off we’re going to be.”

He also said the way in which the country has been able to reduce tobacco use should be seen as a model.

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